Interactive rides will highlight 2013 Philadelphia Auto Show

By Linda Finarelli, For the Journal Register News Service

Friday, January 18, 2013

Climbing a 14-foot-high, 35-degree “mountain” to a perch more than 18 feet off the ground and rumbling over a 25-foot section of “fallen logs” in one of three Jeep models will likely set the tone for at least some of those attending the Philadelphia Auto Show — Jan. 19 to 27 — this year.

“We’re very excited about it,” Philly Auto Show Chairman Michael Chapman said of Camp Jeep, the unique, off-road test drive coming to the Pennsylvania Convention Center for the first time. “It’s very neat. will really experience what it’s like to ride in a four-wheel drive in an indoor climate.”

A professional driver will take participants in a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Wrangler Rubicon or Grand Cherokee for a five-minute ride around a track and obstacles in the 25,000-square-foot exhibit to experience the vehicle’s traction capabilities and articulation.

“Attendees will experience the adrenaline rush of looking nearly straight up or straight down as they navigate the obstacle,” a press release notes.

Toyota will also have an indoor ride, similar to the one it offered last year, which was set around a replica of a Monopoly board, the co-owner and executive of the Chapman Auto Group said. This year’s theme, “Let’s Go Places,” will allow participants to ride with a product specialist in some of Toyota’s 2013 models, including the Avalon, Camry Hybrid, Prius and Venza through the 31,000-square-foot course.

About 11,000 attendees took part in last year’s indoor track ride, Chapman said, adding “that’s a lot.”

Several thousand opted for the outdoor test drives, which were probably tempered by the cold weather, he said. The Ride & Drive experience is being expanded this year so that those interested will have an opportunity to ride with a product specialist in a variety of models from Cadillac, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia and Subaru, he said.

“A lot of people who come to the show are actually in the market for a new car,” said Nicole Osuch, an auto show representative. In 2012, exit surveys showed that almost 91 percent of those who attended the show and said they were looking for a new vehicle reported that visiting the auto show would influence their purchasing decision.

Last year about 250,000 people attended the Philly Auto Show, Chapman said. The Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia, which puts on the annual auto show, expects the same number this year.

The last couple of years hybrids and, last year, electrical vehicles were the “buzz words,” Chapman said. And while Ford and Audi will have some new 40 mpg vehicles on display, “this year’s show will have something for everybody.”

Among the models in the “green” technology sector on display will be the 2014 Audi A6, A7, A8 and Q5 TDI models, the Ford C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi and Ford Fusion Energi.

But with the automotive market and economy improving, Chapman said he thought attendees would be interested in looking at all makes and models.

“The auto industry is experiencing its best annual sales rate since 2008, partly because the average age of a vehicle today is 10.8 years old, which is the oldest it has ever been,” ADAGP Executive Director Kevin Mazzucola said in a press release. “People are returning to the market and manufacturers are competing every day to gain that consumer market share.”

And “for those with an extra $4 million,” McLaren, the racing division of Mercedes-Benz, will have a display at the Philly show for the first time, including the East Coast debut of the McLaren 12C Spider.

Among the latest concept models featured at the show will be the Lexus LF-LC, along with a number of “exotics,” including the Aston Martin DB9 Convertible, Bentley Continental GT Speed, Lamborghini Aventador, Maserati Quattroporte and Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Classic cars will return to the show courtesy of Buckingham Concours d’Elegance, Burn Prevention Foundation Concours d’Elegance of the Eastern United States, LRA Auto Museum, New Hope Auto Show and Simeone Automotive Museum.

Another new feature this year will be a “face-off” between local Mustang and Camero clubs, which will display their best cars at the show and offer attendees an opportunity to vote for their favorite at the on-site kiosks. Attendees will be able to monitor the auto show’s Facebook page for voting updates and to see which will eventually be declared the winner.

In addition to displaying hundreds of vehicles from a variety of worldwide auto manufacturers over 630,000 square feet at the convention center, the Philadelphia Auto Show serves as a fundraiser, with $2 from every ticket sold donated to the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation, which funds a variety of programs benefitting children in the five-county Philadelphia area, Chapman said.

Since 1986, ADAGP and the CARing for Kids Foundation have donated more than $7 million to Philadelphia area children’s charities, including more than $4.9 million to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

This year’s Black Tie Tailgate, 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, offers a preview of the auto show, a menu designed by Stephen STARR Events and entertainment by Jellyroll dance band. Tickets to the event, open to the public, are $225 per person and are available for purchase on phillyautoshow.com. Proceeds this year will benefit the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at CHOP.